Pizza Night

Tonight we took the girls out for pizza.  Savannah was so fussy before we left, so we thought it was going to be a complete bomb.  But, as soon as we put them in the car, the crying stopped and silence!  Silence all the way 30 minutes down the road!  We were playing a fun songs CD "The wheels on the bus go round and round..." and I look back and all I see is Madeline's hands in the air moving all around with the song!  Then I see her head bopping to the beat!  Savannah was right behind me so I couldn't see her, but all I knew was it was silent!  Silent! 

We get to the restaurant:  Cici's Pizza.  I had never been before.  Wait, yes I had...once before with Chris and his buddy's several years ago.  Cici's was their favorite place when they all worked at camp together many years ago.  Anyway, fast forward to today and now it was Chris' time to experience Cici's as it is supposed to be experienced:  With your kids running around having a ball!  Only this time the girls sat in their high chairs, of course, but they looked around and soaked EVERYTHING in.  They were a hoot!  

Just a few shots of them earlier tonight:

Madeline sat eating like this the whole time!  Just watching all the kids play in the game room!

The only reason she's facing forward is because, yep, she was following a kid walking by our table!

Finally, the only way to get her to eat was sitting her in daddy's lap.  Again, eyes on the food?  Nope! On the kids!

NOW we're talkin'....

But where's Savannah in all of this....???

Next to me CHOWING down!! ha ha ha!

A far cry difference from yesterday's dinner where they both were basically falling asleep in their chairs.  Seriously falling asleep.  Oh how I love these girls!!!!!!!!!

Strawberries

Finally!  My little picky eater Savannah LOVES - I mean LOVES - chopped up strawberries!!  Usually Madeline is the one who will chow down anything I put in front of her, but this morning it was Savannah.  This makes me so happy!  Madeline actually kept handing her strawberries over to Savannah - which is unbelievably adorable, by the way.  But, for once, we have found a food that Savannah cannot get enough of!  Yeah for strawberries.  And yeah for two little girls that really can't get enough fruit and veggies over anything else....that's my kind of girls!!

An Improved Meal Time!

After airing my frustrations about Savannah's sour eating habits, today we had a successful lunch at home!  I finally decided to make them a real sandwich, with mayonnaise and all, and they loved it!  You'll hear Savannah giggling...music to my ears. :-)

The Roller Coaster Ride

Meal time is a roller coaster ride.  When we first introduced solids, they HATED it.  What in the world were we trying to put in their mouths?  It took some time, but finally after faithful persistence, they both began to love food.  I mean LOVE food.  They would eat so fast you could hardly keep up with scooping it in their mouths fast enough!

Fast forward to about 11 months old or a little older.  They suddenly started hating pureed food.  They only wanted real solids, chopped up into tiny pieces.  So, no more pureeing their food.  That was a relief, and suddenly meal time became a breeze.

Just a few weeks ago, I was enjoying being able to lay out their food on their tray, and turn around and get Chris and I's meal ready.  No more sitting with them and spoon feeding them their meals.

But that easy ride is over, and now it's back to hard times.  Savannah is the pickiest eater.  Madeline, well she'll eat just about anything I give her.  But not Savannah.  Meal time has become a huge stress time.  She screams - I mean screams - if she does not like what's being placed in front of her.  Even if she just happily ate it the day before.

Madeline just eats whatever.  So here's a pic of the contrast of lunch today.

Savannah covered in food, pondering what she'll deny next.  And then there's Madeline:

That's right....her chair is already empty and she's out and about playing while Savannah still sits in hers.  Oh meal time...will you please become a breeze for me again?  I liked you so much better then....

Happy 11 Month Birthday

Dear Madeline and Savannah,

Your mommy sure has some mixed emotions today! As we are only 1 month away from your 1st birthday, I am filled with so much joy, and a lot of nostalgia for the past 11 months. I can't believe we're celebrating our last official "month" milestone! Next month will begin the "year" milestones that you will carry with you for the rest of your lives! So, for now, I'm going to savor every moment of you girls still being my "fill in the blank" month old babies. Would you be annoyed with me if on your 12 year birthday I referred to you as my 144 month old girls? Probably so....so here goes some of our last days of celebrating a month milestone!

Savannah, you are so full of life, so full of energy, and so full of personality! Yesterday you were sitting at the dinner table while Daddy was feeding you and you blew bubbles just as he filled your mouth with a spoonful of fruit! It went ALL over him! We all started laughing - you included! Once Daddy got up to go grab a napkin, you and I just looked at each other and laughed! The harder I laughed, the harder you laughed! The harder you laughed, the harder I laughed! What a big sense of humor you already have!! Oh my goodness you are too fun for words.

Madeline, you are so determined, so happy, and just a bundle of pure energy! You are climbing all over the place now - climbing up in your crib (see the last post...*ahem*), standing up and holding on to the edge of the couch, standing up in the bathtub, even standing up on Daddy's guitar case! You are so determined, so driven. When you see something you want, you make every and all efforts to get up and reach for it. I've even seen your tiny little legs shake from standing, but you don't give up! That determination is too impressive and makes me so proud of you!!

Girls, you both love food. You amaze all of our sweet family members that have fed you recently. You can't get enough fast enough! Both of you love your vegetables: sweet potatoes, peas, corn, green beans. You both love your fruit, and your favorite part of breakfast, by far, is when we dish out the oatmeal. You both kick your legs and make the cutest sounds! But Savannah, you are still the picky eater. Wow do you make faces when we try to feed you something you haven't yet decided if you like or not! Madeline, you'll eat anything we put in your mouth! Savannah, that pickyness though is something that I'm also proud of you for - I notice that you are contemplative....you study things. You love to "read" and look at books. Maybe this is what you are doing with your food...studying it, trying to determine what it is...being calculated. And Madeline, your love for anything we put in your mouth shows me your zest for life!

So many milestones you've reached, so many yet to go. But one thing remains constant: That is my love and your daddy's love for you two special girls. We love you so very much, and can't wait to celebrate your very first year of life in just one short month. Happy 11 month Birthday girls!

Love,

Mom

My Two Different Eaters

These girls keep me on my toes. When they first started eating solids, Savannah was our big eater. She was ready for food before it was even time to start solids! Madeline wasn't so sure about all that food....but she ate right along with her sis. Now, here they are at 10 1/2 months, and Savannah has become the pickiest eater and Madeline will eat ANYTHING! Savannah makes the funniest faces when she has her first bite of something. Madeline...well she'll just open her mouth wide for more!

Last night we fixed them real brown rice...not the baby cereal kind. Madeline took her first bite and was already ready for the next! Savannah...well....a picture says a thousand words. She's definitely our picky eater!! I wonder if they'll stay this way, or if they'll switch on me again?

Food, food, and more food

So now that the girls are 9 months old, our pediatrician recommended that I start focusing more on the 3 solid meals they've been eating a day and nurse only 4-5 times a day. Right now they have been nursing 5-6 times a day. She wants them to get the bulk of their nutrition from those 3 meals. They can now start eating just about anything, as long as I slowly introduce it to them and make sure of the obvious - that it is mashed up and puree'd, or chopped up for finger foods.

This stresses me out a little bit! I am so excited about now opening up the door to all sorts of new foods, but it has been such a carefree feeling to know that by simply nursing them, I was giving them all of the nutrients they needed! This, for one thing, just means my baby girls are growing up. For another, it means that I really need to think and plan out what I'm feeding them now at these meals.

So, for the past several days, I've slowly introduced them to eggs - which has been a big hit at times, not at others - as well as avocado and toast. The toast was classic. They loved it. We'll see how the rest of the foods go!

Madeline and her gigantic piece of toast

Savannah with her gigantic piece of toast!

And Bailey just waiting for another piece to come flying his way!!

Update: September 28

THEY ARE GIRLS AFTER MY OWN HEART!!
Today I let the girls eat peanut butter. Yes, peanut butter! I would have never done so had my doctor not told me it was ok, but after she talked to me about the latest studies, I decided not to fear the allergy of all allergies and just let them try it. The longer I am a parent, the longer the list of controversial subjects arise, whether it be vaccinations, sleep, or food. But peanut butter seems to be one of those controversial subjects: how soon do you introduce your children to peanut butter? So today, I just put a small dot on my fingers and let them taste it that way. Savannah immediately lit up!! Madeline did too but just kept smacking her tongue (her newest discovery as of late!). My plan is to keep letting them having tiny bits of it for the next 3 days and see how they do.

And an update on the breast feeding. I am continuing to nurse them 5-6 times a day. I do believe that until they are ready to drop back, I'm not going to drop a feeding just yet. They are eating a LOT at their three meals, so I am not afraid that it is interfering with them getting a good solid meal. And as long as I'm ok with it, and they're ok with it, we'll keep nursing the same way we have. It is a great goal to strive to really keep them nourished this way for their first full year.

7 Months

How thankful am I for each and every new month that comes as I watch our girls grow and make all sorts of new discoveries in this thing called life. Savannah and Madeline are now 7 months old. Yikes! I am a little afraid of this fact, but thankful that my girls continue to be "tiny tots" as I like to call them. This means I get to enjoy them in their infancy stage for an extra long time...and I relish in every moment I have with them! While they may look so small to the average person, they are such healthy girls who have more than tripled their birth weights and are getting stronger every day. They love to laugh, love to stand, love to "talk", and they love to eat. Madeline has become my laid back child when it comes to eating. She just lounges in her chair and slowly opens her mouth and takes her time. Savannah on the other hand, cries out for more! It is hard to get it to her fast enough, and when I do, she just makes the cutest sounds of pure delight! They've now added prunes and carrots to their taste buds, and love their hearts, they like the prunes! Madeline and carrots...not so much. I guess she's got her momma in her...I'm not big on cooked carrots either. I have yet to introduce a new food to Savannah that she doesn't like! As avid eaters of vegetables and fruits, the fact that they both are generally enjoying all of their new healthy foods makes Daddy and I very happy!

Besides their longer stretches of sitting up that they've started to do, another new thing that the girls have started doing is rolling around EVERYWHERE. Madeline is trying so very hard to crawl...she pushes forward with all her strength, then stops and rolls. Savannah has figured that rolling is just the way to go, so she will roll over and over and over until she gets to where she wants to be. It is the cutest thing ever. Just this evening I was feeding Savannah and looked over to check on Madeline and she was nowhere near where I'd left her. She had rolled all the way to our couch and was just looking at it like "um...you're in my way, Mr. Couch!"

Madeline has also started pulling herself up. Savannah was the first to stand - with help - and now Madeline looks to be the first to pull herself up to stand. They both flip flop on who experiences the "first" first! I love watching this as it just reminds me my two babies are two distinct people with two very distinct preferences for ways of doing things.

The girls have also really discovered Bailey this past month. They've always looked at him, but never really like they do now. They smile and watch him and want so badly to play with him! It is adorable. He's now their pillow at times, and lets them tug and pull on him however they like. He's such a great dog.

One big principal I maintain in our household when our baby girls are up and at it is that of laughter. We laugh every single day, all the time. There is always a big smile and a big laugh, and lots, I mean lots of kisses. It's just the way we do things in our house, and something I hope we never ever forget to do. Laughter, love, hugs and lots of kisses!

From Left to Right, Madeline and Savannah

Madeline

Savannah

Part 2 of the Pureeing Tip

I forgot to include this part. To put things in perspective, I was able to fill 10 of the plastic Gerber containers with the 1 bag of frozen peas that cost $0.88 total. Those 10 containers would have added up to $5.....so if I do that with 20 containers...we're talking $1.76 versus $10....huge savings for something that tastes better, healthier, and drastically cuts down on the waste of all those containers each and every time getting used and thrown away! Just had to add that part to my story.

Eating in Action

Food, Food and More Food

The girls have finally discovered a love for solids. They love it! Savannah is so funny when she eats - she will literally scream (the laughing scream kind) for more! Madeline gets so upset if you pause for just a few seconds before spooning her another bite. So far, they've had rice cereal, applesauce, peaches, sweet potatoes and peas. The peas were my first attempt at pureeing. I was terrified as to the time it would take, blah blah blah. What I discovered was that it really is fast and easy and so much tastier, and so much cheaper too! I have not a bad thing to say about it.

Best tip for any mom's out there interested in pureeing their own food. I took a frozen bag of peas, boiled them, dropped them into a blender. Added lots of water left over from the pan (with all the nutrients in it!) to make it very liquidy for my Stage 1 girls. Then - here's the best tip part - I poured them into old Gerber plastic containers I had saved from other baby food I had bought for them! Then, I dropped the containers into the freezer. Perfect serving size, and perfect re-use idea for those little plastic containers Gerber sells their baby food in!

Cereal Time

For the last two months, we've experimented on and off with rice cereal. There have been moments when they've actually liked it, and then moments when they don't. But today we finally set up their feeding chairs. These are an unbelievable space saver for twins - they sit on the chairs at your table. Otherwise, we'd have 4 chairs plus two high chairs around the kitchen table. Not good. Feeding chairs, very good. Anyway, just putting them in their chairs made something click in their little minds! The girls immediately knew it was time to eat - in the same ways they had been watching us eat! Madeline chowed down. Not once, but twice today. Savannah ate, but not as eagerly. She's still got to get used to this. But she will.

And for those moments that weren't so good...I'll just post one pic of those times. Good times.